Lead Different Personalities Without Being Frustrated
4 Team dynamics strategies
Opposites attract they say.
What if everyone in your team has a different personality?
The team could be a nest for creativity and collaboration. Yet, it could also end in neverending discussions, conflicts, and annoyance.
Thanks to all the different communication styles you must develop and apply, your head might be spinning around. Oh, well. That is what makes a great leader, no?
Today, you get four universal tips to help you lead different personalities.
1. Humor, not sarcasm
Smiling relieves stress and elevates mood. Smiling is contagious. Smiling helps you stay positive. Smiling is a way out of the intense situation.
Studies have shown that smiling releases endorphins, other natural painkillers, and serotonin. Broadly said, teams that smile and laugh together are friendlier, more successful, and less stressed.
Be mindful of sarcasm, though. Trying to be funny and bitey can backfire.
Sarcasm is perhaps a toxic form of humor. It can hurt people and influence shared trust, and they will remember it for a long time.
Don’t forget cultural differences. Some teammates might not even understand your sarcasm and take your comments seriously.
Phew.
How to engage your team in humor? Start with a light joke or a funny quote/anecdote to test your waters. Share something lighthearted perhaps a personal story. Humor brings different people together as they might find their commonalities.
What's not funny:
- Jokes about sex, religion, stereotypes, gender, or politics
- Don't mock or discredits your coworkers
- Don't try to be funny when everyone is dealing with a crisis, it could appear you are not sensitive.2. Personality-based Task Rotation
One is good at proofreading. Another is in presentations. Another likes doing research. It makes sense to distribute tasks based on what people like, prefer, and are good at.
However, this could create frustration. Doing the same things again and again, I am already seeing my team complaining about a lack of growth.
The secret leadership sauce for avoiding their complaints is to rotate:
Let different people work together. Don’t do the same group all the time.
Swap tasks.
Give equal opportunities to people (not your talents get the most interesting projects all the time).
Yes, some personalities have a natural inclination and talent toward certain tasks. But without a challenge, your team will become inflexible. (That’s what Joe does, not me!)
Different personalities need variations to work on their strengths and weaknesses. Feed them. You’ll see that:
They develop new skills and discover a thing or two about themselves.
They get fresh perspectives on their routines.
They will be far away from burnout having varying responsibilities.
3. Create Safe Spaces for Conflict Resolution
What is one of the most annoying things that can happen in the office (except the coffee machine is broken)?
Conflict.
You clash in your family. You argue with your friends. So, no wonder conflict is inevitable at work, too. Expect it sooner or later.
People with different personalities, backgrounds, and experiences, handle conflicts differently. Some go directly into confrontations. Others are silent and suffering.
Your leadership job is to create a safe space for conflict resolution. You pretty much need to normalize conflicts.
Leading different personalities = leading them out of their conflicts
The best is to:
Openly discuss and create a mediation process where a neutral party facilitates meetings between conflicting personalities.
Run a training or a workshop about conflict resolution and communication skills. (I can do this one for you, just email me.)
Communicate openly and honestly. If you focus on dialogue, your team will follow. In a conflict case, leading by example is paying off.
4. Designate “Creative Thinking” Times
Harvest different brains.
Sounds weird, but stay with me. One thing that leaders often fail is to allocate some time for free-form, creative thinking. Scrap formal setting and roles.
Instead, lay down a burning issue.
Having different personalities allows you to gather ideas and talk with them about changes and innovations. New process? What improvement do you need? How to react to the client’s feedback?
Use brainstorming techniques to get your team going and to involve introverted team members.
Teams need more collaboration. Not just separate projects and achievements. What are the areas that everyone would benefit from? How to make them better? Invest this time with your team and you’ll see they will be more satisfied because:
They will feel involved.
They will see a purpose in what they do.
They will form a bond and a sense of being part of the team.
Value every personality and let your team be heard.
TL;DR
Frustration comes from the lack of understanding and personal preference. Get rid of both, and you’ll be able to accommodate everyone on your team.
Use:
Humor
Rotation
Conflict resolution
Free, creative thinking.
Sweet and smooth. Have a wonderful day, Ivona
Monday Case Study: How to Develop Other Leaders
Thursday Newsletter: Communicate Well in Triggered Situations